


Dinner?

by sunaddicted



Series: Tumblr Prompts 2019 [16]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Awkward Dates, Awkward Flirting, Dinner, Drabble, Gen, M/M, Napping, Pre-Slash, Short & Sweet, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 07:29:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19436764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunaddicted/pseuds/sunaddicted
Summary: He was a workaholic, not an idiot.





	Dinner?

**Author's Note:**

> My adored @nekoii-akwelvhi asked for accidentally falling asleep together + m/tanner

_Dinner?_

Gareth wasn't exactly proud of the fact that, when everything was said and done, he basically was stalking his Chief of Staff - just as Bond was constantly buzzing around Q, trying to be subtle but miserably failing despite decades of training and field experience.

The only reason why Bill hadn't yeeted a stapler at him yet was that the man was too bloody oblivious, overworked and exhausted to notice how often his boss dropped by for tea, a beer - they had to survive MI6 in some way, didn't they? - or a report that Miss Moneypenny had already dutifully landed on his desk.

Gareth wasn't quite sure about whether it was a blessing in disguise or his punishment for being such a creep.

Probably the latter.

Most certainly, really.

Still, Gareth couldn't help it: he was attracted to Bill like a moth to a flame - hopelessly charmed by the man's dry and sometimes rather mean wit; the annoyed twitch of his eyebrow when one of the double-ohs pulled something particularly stupid; the tired sloping of his shoulders after a 72-hour-long shift; the shy way the corners of his mouth lifted when he was praised for his good work.

"M, I didn't think you were still here"

And now he had been caught staring like a loon - _f a n t a s t i c_ "Paperwork" the oldest, lamest but still more efficient excuse in the book "I ordered food and I saw the lights on so, I wondered if you would like to join me?" Smooth.

That had been... _smooth_.

Good.

"What did you order?"

"Thai" Gareth had never never prayed so hard for someone to like thai food - or for the power to transform things with his touch.

Why hadn't he won the superpowers lottery? No matter that metahumans didn't exist - he really had spent too much time with his niece, going over comic books.

"I'll bring the beers"

"You.. will?"

Bill nodded his head towards the mini fridge - 100% nonstandard but he honestly didn't give a shit about that: MI6 employees had the nasty habit of stealing whatever they found in the common rooms fridges, driven by exhaustion and hunger; while Bill couldn't completely blame his colleagues, he wasn't a sharer when it came to food.

Or beer.

Rare exceptions, excluded: Q, with whom it always was soothing to have a drink and bitch about missions; Moneypenny who had to be appropriately plied in order to receive the best gossip going around the agency; Bond, more because the bastard would find a way to make him pay not offering him a beer than because he wanted to share with him; Mallory - there were many reasons why he liked to share with the man but the main one was that he looked like he really needed a drink 98% of the times.

Working the same shitty hours, on the same shitty missions with the same pigheaded agents, Bill really empathised with the man.

It didn't hurt that when M forgot about propriety, he drank straight from the bottle and Bill was treated to the alluring sight of his Adam's apple bobbing.

One settled for what they could realistically get.

"Sure" he held up three bottles "Unless you want to be stone cold sober for your paperwork?"

"No, thanks" Gareth wrinkled his nose a little as he held the door open for the man, patiently waiting for him to boot off his computer "Are you sure I'm not distracting you from work?"

"You're my boss and you invited me for dinner - I think you can deal with a report getting a little later than usual on your desk?" The man wasn't _that_ married to the work that he would retract his offer, was he?

"Of course I can" in no way Gareth was wasting a chance to spend some quality time with the other man.

He was a workaholic, not an idiot.

Which was why he had already started setting down the takeaway cartons on the coffee table rather than on the desk, so that they would be forced to share the couch and be in each other's proximity - a stroke of genius really.

"Ah, this smells so good" Bill sighed, letting himself fall on the couch without much ceremony and grabbing the first box in his reach "Dibs on the Khao Pad" he announced, after peeking inside.

Gareth would have honestly let Bill scarf down all of the satay, if it meant that he got to sit next to him for what could even be _two_ whole hours "Be my guest"

They ate in silence after that and neither of them really minded: it was nice to be able to share some companionable quiet, without feeling the urge to make small talk or, infinitely worse, fall back on talking about work even when they were trying to cut out a moment of peace - away from it all. And it truly was peaceful - so much that Bill barely even noticed as the alcohol and the hearty food caught up with him, weighing down on his lids; the last time he had slept, it had been a nap sometime the previous afternoon and Moneypenny had interrupted it with an emergency.

He wanted to rest.

He deserved it.

Bill willingly let go of the box when it was pried out of his hands and he didn't really question why his head was being led towards a firm and square shoulder, the subtle oscillation of M's breathing pattern suddenly turning into a lullaby.

Gareth didn't question it either when he let his own eyes fall closed, cheek resting on the top of Bill's head: they could talk in the morning - try to explain it all away.

He wanted to enjoy it for now.


End file.
